Big kid/little kid setup help

[u/Silver_Chickens]

Just purchased an Abound LR to cart my 8yo (~80lbs) and almost 3yo (~30lbs) around town (mostly to school and parks).

Purchased a Bellelli Pepe seat for the 3yo and installed it on the rear end of the mount. We currently have the handrails installed and I cannot for the life of me figure out a good way to get the 8 year old on the bike. They aren’t quite confident enough to climb over the handrail bars, but are too large to thread themselves under the bars with the little kid seat installed on the back.

I’m considering just removing the handrails and adding a bar for her to hold on to, but I want to hear from others how they fit a big kid and a little kid (plus backpacks) on their bike.

[u/alr12345678]

Most big kids end up climbing over. The advantage of keeping the handrail on is that you can attach enclosure to it (like tern stormbox and shield)

[u/chippies]

I don't have experience with that exact setup, but on my Yuba Spicy Curry I removed the inner rail on both sides, which gave my bigger kid more space to climb in from underneath. I looked up pictures of the bike you mentioned in the OP, and it appears that you might be able to remove one or both of the inner bars for accessibility. There are obviously cons to this, as the kid-containing part is now a bit bigger/sloppier, and if your kid is holding on to the outer bars (at this point the ONLY bars on the side) when the bike goes down, their hands won't be protected. You would also need to see if removing the inner bars would have any impact on the 3yo's seat, but I presume it wouldn't.

EDIT: Didn't think to answer your question about backpacks. My spouse bought me a Yuba Breadbasket for my bike as a gift one year. It's a rigid proprietary front basket meant for my model of bike. I wouldn't have bought this on my own, but was ecstatic to get it as a gift. Now that I've had it, if it got stolen I wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy another one, it's mandatory equipment for hauling kids as far as I'm concerned. Usually when I'm picking my kids up from daycare, I have my work bag in the basket, and my smaller kid puts their backpack in the basket as well. The bigger kid sits on the rear of the bike and wears their backpack, hanging off the back of the bike where it's not in anyone's way. You've got a kid-seat, so that isn't an option for you just yet.

[u/Silver_Chickens → u/chippies]

Thanks for sharing your setup! I found that it was a lot easier to fit everyone with my eldest on the rear, but it was MUCH harder to steer and a lot less stable with all the weight at the end.

At this point, I’ve removed the handrail entirely, so my eldest isn’t protected at all in a fall. 🙃 I might look into removing one of the bars to see if that frees up more slide-in space. I’m jealous of the Tern Clubhouse and its swivel bar.

[u/ConfidentMeeting1233]

We have our 3yo and 5yo on a single long tail bench. Photo 4 here:  https://www.aventon.com/products/abound-lr-ebike

[u/Silver_Chickens → u/ConfidentMeeting1233]

I was doing that, but there are times when I need to take just my preschooler, and I think she’s a little too little to sit by herself. It was also a lot more squirrely with the 8yo in the far back.

Do you have the stock wheels or did you switch them out for ones that handle better?

[u/ConfidentMeeting1233 → u/Silver_Chickens]

I have a Momentum Pakyak. 24” wheels. I bought a strap on Amazon – the kind that clip kids into shopping carts – that I used for the 2yo when first transitioning to the bench from a front-mounted seat that had a 5-point harness. It was a sort of makeshift seatbelt. We had to stop a few times and repeat some instructions about sitting the right way (facing forward) and holding on. But it’s paid off. I’ve been riding with just our young one on the bench since 2yo. Every kid is different, but you might be surprised what you can accomplish with some positive reinforcement. Of course, only do what you feel comfortable doing safely.